


Lightning

by Endemic



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, a series of ocean metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-09 00:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1962960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endemic/pseuds/Endemic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin is the only thing that can make Haru forget about the ocean. Almost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lightning

Haru touches Rin's face, because it's his favorite part of him. It's where words crash out of his mouth and hit Haru in waves, where the ocean boils over and spills from his eyes. Right now, the waters are calm and Rin bows his head, letting his hair wash over Haru's wrists. 

How can the ocean be contained behind such a pretty thing?

"Come on, Haru, we're going to be late, " Rin says, a feeble attempt at deflecting Haru's scrutiny. 

Is he also worried about someone seeing them? Haru uses Rin's moving lips as an excuse to slip his fingers inside Rin's mouth.

Rin bites down slowly, hard enough to leave marks. Haru lets him gnaw on his fingers despite the pain, he knows its Rin's way of showing Haru just how nervous he is. Just how much he blames Haru for making him feel this way.

"There's somewhere I want to go with you, after we get married," Haru says.

The tide shifts and Rin is glaring at him.

"I confessed to you two weeks ago,” Rin says, Haru's fingers still resting in his mouth. "I don't even know if we're _dating_. Who said anything about marriage?"

Haru just stares and his silence is the wind that carries in the storm.

Rin grabs Haru's wrist and pulls the fingers from his mouth. He shoves Haru's other hand away, trying to back away to no avail—Haru has him cornered against the white wall of Iwatobi's vacant hall. He pushes Haru instead, causing him to stumble.

"Who says I want to be with you forever?"

Is this the sort of thing that troubles Rin's mind? Does he fret over what publicity an Olympic swimmer with a boyfriend might stir? Does it emasculate him, discredit him? 

Nothing can stop forever from forming between them, they have been building forever since the day they met. Even when Rin distances himself, physically, emotionally, Haru is still there, waiting on the shore with the tide around his ankles—watching Rin's sails on the horizon. Nothing can stop forever as far as Haru is concerned.

Except, Rin can. Rin is the one with the power to decide if he wants to spend that forever back on the shore with Haru at his side, or... somewhere else.

Haru could swim after him—as he's done before. But...

''There's a river in Venezuela that runs into a lake,” Haru continues, used to Rin's temper.

“So what?” Rin snaps, moved to fury too easily by Haru's stoic expression.

“There's a phenomenon there called the Catatumbo lightning, where a storm with five kilometer high clouds amasses over the river, causing up to two-hundred and eighty lightning strikes per hour.”

“Are you seriously giving me a geography lesson right now?”

“Go there with me as friends, as lovers, as more than that—as whatever you like. Just go with me someday."

Rin makes a noise of annoyance—of holding back a retort. “ _Why?_ ” he asks, after a moment.

“I want to see it.” Haru doesn't bat an eyelash. “With you,” he adds, because Rin still seems confused.

The sunset reflects red on the surface of Rin's face. Rin swallows the remainder of his embarrassment. “Like Makoto would ever let you go there.” Rin throws his head back and grins with his sorry excuse for omnivore teeth. “You'd end up getting yourself killed, trying to swim in the river.”

Haru smiles at the thought. Maybe the others should come too.

Rin throws an arm around Haru and leads him down the hall. Everyone is still waiting on them at the pool. 

“Venezuela, huh? Maybe someday.”


End file.
